If you want to whip up a meringue that doesn’t shrink, have wondered why your homemade yogurt is grainy, or are eager to fix a mayonnaise that’s “broken,” it’s time for you to delve into the chemistry of cooking. Harold McGee and Shirley Corriher are authors of some of the most trusted cooking reference guides, which we recommend for your kitchen library.

In On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, McGee, known internationally as a food chemist, blends history with useful explanations of why foods react the way they do when cooked. The 2004 revision features an additional nutrition-focused passage in several chapters.

In his newest book, Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes, McGee covers everything from pantry management and essential kitchen tools to specific food groups, such as eggs, vegetables and oils.

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Corriher, an acclaimed culinary problem-solver, offers more than 230 recipes in CookWise — many of which are accompanied by a “what this recipe shows” headnote that reveals the chemistry behind the recipe, to further your learning. For example, she explains the use of different kinds of fats for frying, and suggests possible ingredient replacements for a diverse array of dishes.

In her second book, BakeWise, Corriher moves on to offer illuminating answers to the mysteries of baking, and examines all things oven-made, from the drying properties of egg whites to the perks of adding cheddar cheese to pie crust. One slice of valuable information, to get a taste: Corriher details why you may not like the results if you reduce or eliminate the sugar in a cake recipe, so you can make such adjustments intelligently.

Any of these four food science books will teach you how to swap ingredients successfully and will make you a more knowledgeable and adaptable cook.

(Bottom) Cover courtesy Morrow Cookbooks: CookWise by Shirley O. Corriher is one of our go-to resources on the chemistry of cooking.

Robin Mather is a former senior associate editor at MOTHER EARTH NEWS and the author of The Feast Nearby, a collection of essays and recipes from her year of eating locally on $40 a week. In her spare time, she is a hand-spinner, knitter, weaver, homebrewer, cheese maker and avid cook who cures her own bacon. Find her on Twitter or Facebook.

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